


Take a Break

by whitchry9



Category: Daredevil (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Five Times, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, POV Outsider, Post-Season/Series 02, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, no plus one... yet, sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 23:13:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6586735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitchry9/pseuds/whitchry9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Matt doesn't get enough sleep. And when he does fall asleep, it's in the most inconvenient places.</p><p>Five times people found him asleep where he probably shouldn't have been.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Break

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a super cute prompt over here: http://daredevilkink.dreamwidth.org/7552.html?thread=14290816#cmt14290816
> 
> And yes, so continues the saga of naming fics with Hamilton lyrics.

Lila is just checking in on Father Lantom one night after work, the man foolishly thinks it's a good idea to stay open late in this neighbourhood, honestly, when she comes across the man in the pew.

He's laying down, which is why she hadn't spotted him on her first walk around, helping Father clean up for the night.

Her first thought is that he's dead, because he looks really not good, pale in the ghostly lighting that all old churches seem to have, which combined with the bruising on his face worries her. But as she hesitates while debating whether she's really ready to deal with that, his chest rises and then falls. Sleeping then. She sends a quick thanks to Jesus, who is watching over this man from the front of the church.

“Oh Matthew,” Father Lantom whispers from behind her, ghosting up while she was debating what to do.

Lila glances between them. “Should I wake him?” she asks.

Father Lantom shakes his head. “He needs the sleep. I'll get him a blanket.”

Lila nods, and stares at this man while Father retrieves the blanket. He's dressed nicely, in a suit, and his hair is neatly trimmed. She doesn't think he's homeless, or if he is, it's recent. But Father Lantom also seems to know him, and knows that he needs sleep.

No matter, she reminds herself. It's not her business.

But when Father Lantom comes back with a crocheted afghan and she helps drape it over the sleeping man, she can't help but notice the quick prayer said over his sleeping form, asking for rest and healing.

 

That night before she goes to sleep, she adds Matthew to her prayers- that he find rest and refreshment, albeit it on a hard wooden pew.

She also adds a prayer in for his back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

When Ian arrives at the gym on the only morning he's supposed to open it, he finds a man sleeping in the boxing ring.

“Well, shit,” he says, loudly enough for it to echo around the room, but apparently not loudly enough for it to wake the man.

Ian sighs.

Upon closer examination, he recognizes the man as the one who sometimes slips the night guys a few bucks to stay after hours. He had a job with long hours or something, and liked the quiet to work out. There were also rumours floating around about him, that he was the son of a boxer, the one who was murdered just down the street after a match not too long back.

Ian's never really been one for gossip, he's just trying to make enough money to get himself through grad school, but it's hard not to listen to the rumours fly when that's all you've got for company. Well, that and a dozen sweaty men.

 

Ian shuffles a bit closer to him, mostly to make sure the guys not dead, and thankfully his chest is moving. But he's sleeping in the middle of the ring, which is... weird. Like he was boxing and then just laid down to nap. Who does that anyway?

 

Ian sighs and debates what to do. It's only 6, and the gym doesn't technically open until 7. It's not like he has much to do either, just wipe down the equipment and make sure everything is set up and organized for the day. He could definitely do it around the sleeping man, who Ian realizes he doesn't know the name of.

There's a bag on the bench next to the ring, and it makes Ian ridiculously uncomfortable, but he pokes through it anyway. He doesn't find a wallet, but he does find a white cane and a pair of sunglasses. Was the guy blind? Did he wander into the ring thinking it was his bed and fall asleep?

Ian shakes his head, backing away from the bag. He's learned more than enough for one day.

In the ring, the man shivers slightly. The air is cool, kept that way on purpose, but there's a sweater on the bench next to the other things.

Ian picks it up, ducks under the ropes, and climbs into the ring. He drapes the sweater over the man, who curls around it instinctively.

Ian rolls his eyes at the ridiculousness of the entire situation, but simply shakes his head and goes to check on the weights. He'll let the man sleep until someone else shows up.

 

When Ian goes back to check on him just before 7, the man and his things are gone. On the bench there is a business card, a messy word scrawled on the back.

Ian is pretty sure it says 'thanks', but he wouldn't bet on it. Definitely adds credence to his suspicion the man was blind.

The front of the business card reads 'Nelson and Murdock, attorneys at law', and something in it seems familiar to Ian.

He shakes his head, and tucks the card in his pocket on his way to unlock the doors. He pauses for a moment at one of the posters advertising a boxing event, Murdock versus Creel, and considers the implications.

The boxer's blind son, asleep in the ring. And Ian covered him up with his sweater.

He shakes his head and goes to unlock the door.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Jarvis is well aware of Daredevil's true identity. He had been nearly certain since he set foot in the tower. He'd had a 73.9% certainty of his identity even before then, based on footage provided by news outlets and other... less public sources.

So Jarvis is aware that Daredevil also goes by Matthew Michael Murdock, born and raised in Hell's Kitchen, blinded at nine and orphaned at ten, currently mourning the death of a lover and his career and multiple friendships.

Jarvis is making some assumptions with the last few things.

 

Jarvis is also aware that Mr Murdock is lacking sleep, recovering from broken ribs and numerous lacerations, and is currently asleep on Mr Stark's couch in his workshop.

The last thing he knows is because his cameras in the workshop are fixed on him, carefully observing for vital signs, as there was a moment that it seemed uncertain he was breathing.

 

Mr Stark had invited Mr Murdock, or Daredevil rather, over to make some adjustments to his equipment and also to debrief after the recent attack of sand monsters. Mr Stark had then disappeared upstairs to change and shower, to quote “get sand out of literally everywhere, jesus” and had left Daredevil in his lab with orders not to touch anything that looked breakable. Jarvis noted a slight facial twitch that he assumed was Mr Murdock's attempt not to smile.

 

Daredevil sat himself down on the couch that Mr Stark usually napped on in the middle of long engineering sprints, and within moments had slouched over, resting his head on the armrest at one end, stretching his legs out to reach the other end.

He'd fallen asleep.

 

Jarvis switches to monitoring for any injuries, which is how he determines that Daredevil is likely suffering at least three cracked ribs on his left side, more than two weeks old, and numerous lacerations and abrasions from the fight with the sand monster.

Mr Stark is still showering, and Daredevil seems comfortable where he is, so Jarvis is content with leaving him until Mr Stark returns.

He instructs DUM-E to retrieve one of Sir's worn afghans from a hidden space underneath a cabinet and to cover Daredevil with it.

Most of the blanket makes it onto Daredevil, and Jarvis is pleased to see that Daredevil pulls it up to his chin and sighs with contentment.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Melvin is just checking the locks on the door to his shop when he spots Mr Daredevil, (Matt he said to call him, Melvin can call him Matt) curled up on a pile of kevlar. He's not wearing his Daredevil costume, and he doesn't look hurt (he came in one time with blood all over his arm and Melvin panicked and almost called for an ambulance, but didn't because Mr Daredevil, Matt, insisted he didn't) but he also isn't moving.

He's breathing. Sleeping?

Melvin knows that Matt is a lawyer during the day and Daredevil at night. Melvin also knows that when Matt brought the costume he'd made for Betsy back that it was sliced in the middle and still stained with blood. Melvin thinks that maybe Matt doesn't get much sleep since he's so busy during the day and at night trying to save everyone. Melvin also thinks that maybe Matt is working even harder to try and save everyone because of the one person he couldn't save.

In the shadows, Matt's face looks pale and tired and sad, and there are bruises and cuts on his face. Some of them are old and some of them are new. Melvin knows that the newspaper said Daredevil has been busy in the last weeks, and he thinks that maybe Matt has been busy too. Which means he's been extra busy.

 

Melvin considers Mr Daredevil, _no, Matt,_ he corrects himself, before going upstairs to his apartment and getting a blanket. He could probably carry Matt up there to sleep on the couch, but Melvin doesn't want to wake him, and he also thinks that Matt might get scared and hurt him if he woke up and was afraid.

So Melvin leaves him where he is, but tucks him in with care and makes sure there's enough light in case he wakes up later.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Stick wasn't making a habit of following Matt around the city, but it just happened they were in the same place more often than not. Probably because they had they same enemies, even if the kid tried to convince himself otherwise.

 

He's on one roof, Stick on another with his bow. The kid always did hate it when he killed people, so he is waiting to see if Matty can take them out without him needing to step in.

Except his fighting is sloppy, his heart racing, his movements uncoordinated and reactions slow. That's what gives one of them the chance to jab him in the arm with something.

 

As Matty's limbs start to give out, Stick decides enough is enough and shoots the remaining three men in quick succession. They drop and he hops across the gap between buildings.

 

The needle is still in the hand of the man who managed to get him.

Stick considers it. Not poison, just a sedative. The kid'll probably just sleep it off.

 

And based on the way he was fighting, he needed it. He probably hadn't had a full night sleep since, well... Ellie.

 

Stick sighs, but heaves Matty up over his shoulder, grunting under the weight. The costume adds plenty.

 

He takes the kid home, dumps him in his bed, takes off the helmet, covers him with the blanket. His breathing is even and deep. His eyes flicker like he's dreaming.

Stick wonders if he still dreams in pictures anymore.

 

He considers leaving a note, some kind of sign that would let Matty know how he got home, what happened, but finally decides against it. He does help himself to one of the shitty beers in the fridge and heads back into the night, leaving Matty to finally get some rest.

 


End file.
